Day-by-Day Review: 2013 Kia Sportage

The last time I test drove a Kia Sportage was a 2011 model back in September of 2010. At the time only the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine was available and many of the comments in our online forums were about the upcoming 2.0-litre turbo engine. Probably the biggest issue with my tester at the time was the as-tested price of just over $33,000 – many exclaimed it was far too much for a Kia – have times changed?

So here it is: the turbo 2.0-litre GDI engine shared with Hyundai. This engine is now used in a multitude of vehicles from sports cars, as in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, to crossovers… like this one. But if $33,000 was too much for a Kia in 2010, how about $39,000 in 2013?

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Yes, this Kia is for all intents and purposes at that magical $40k barrier – but you do get a lot of goodies with your Kia at that price. To be honest, you get a lot of goodies with any Kia at any price but the SX trim Sportage I am testing this week really does offer a lot.

Obvious features when you first step into this tester are the leather-covered power seats and dual-zone climate control. As I sat down for a few minutes and inspected the buttons I saw even more. How about a heated and cooled driver’s seat and heated passenger seat? Not bad, but a heated steering wheel – aaahhh, that’s nice. Of course, for those that enjoy a moonroof, this one has that as well, plus Bluetooth, cruise control, steering wheelπ–mounted audio controls and navigation keep the feature list rich.

Of course, no modern feature-rich car today wouldn’t be complete without push-button start and huge alloy wheels – 18 inches in the case of the Sportage. This vehicle has most, if not all, the features buyers desire in many luxury cars, but does it drive or feel like a luxury car worth $40,000? Stay tuned to find out.